RAVE has no raves for new 2-way traffic in downtown Rockford

ROCKFORD — The firm that manages the city’s three downtown entertainment venues wants to put the brakes on plans to open Church and Chestnut streets to two-way traffic.

Isaac Guerrero

ROCKFORD — The firm that manages the city’s three downtown entertainment venues wants to put the brakes on plans to open Church and Chestnut streets to two-way traffic.

The city intends to convert North Main and Church streets between Cedar and John streets. Construction is slated for 2016.

The city is examining conversion of Chestnut to two-way traffic, too. But Mike Dunn, chairman of the Rockford Area Venues and Entertainment Authority, says allowing two-way access on Church and Chestnut would tie up traffic and compromise patrons going to and from the BMO Harris Bank Center and the Coronado Performing Arts Center.

“Some of it makes sense to me,” he told fellow RAVE board members last month. “But right now, converting Chestnut to two-way and Church to two-way is very troubling to me.”

Converting Church Street to two-way traffic would hamper the loading and staging area outside the BMO Center before and after shows at the arena, RAVE manager Gordon Kaye said in a letter to Mayor Larry Morrissey and City Administrator Jim Ryan this year.

Two-way traffic on Church would create “an absolute nightmare” of backups into the concourse parking deck, the arena’s primary parking garage, Kaye explained. More police presence would be needed to ensure patron safety outside the Coronado, too.

Is it broke?
Aldermen are in no rush to green-light the two-way conversions.

In January, the City Council approved a five-year, $200 million infrastructure improvement plan minus $200,000 for design work on the Main and Church conversions.

Delaying the design work, however, doesn’t mean the two-way projects are off the table. Seven of the 14 aldermen will change when a new City Council is seated May 6.

Frank Beach, who will retain his 10th Ward seat, doesn’t see the logic in making Church and Chestnut two-way.

“The public is going to be very quick to give us recommendations when things need to be fixed,” he said.

“I’ve not heard an outcry from the people of Rockford that you have to convert these streets to two-way traffic. More people are going downtown. They’re finding their way in bigger and bigger numbers and I’m not hearing anyone complain.”

Fans of the Rockford IceHogs are flocking to the BMO Center in record numbers. The American Hockey League affliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks posted a 7.6 percent increase in attendance this season, and average game attendance was the highest this season than any in the team’s history.

Chris Block, author of perhaps the most popular independent Blackhawks blog, TheThirdManIn.com, attended 30 of the 38 IceHogs home games this season, and Chicago’s NBC sports affiliate covered the team during its playoff run.

Word is spreading that Rockford’s hockey team is a hot ticket, Kaye said, adding that more ticket-buyers are finding their way to the Coronado, too.

Still time to talk
Another sports attraction is driving desire for two-way traffic on Chestnut Street: the expected fall 2014 opening of an indoor sports complex in the former Ingersoll factory south of Chestnut along the Rock River.

Expectations are high for the $13.6 million partnership of the city, the Rockford Park District and others to boost the region’s robust sports tourism business. Tens of thousands more visitors may come downtown every year when the complex opens its doors.

The city has not added a Chestnut Street makeover to its five-year capital improvements plan. Any change to Chestnut, a state highway, will need state approval.

“Opening Chestnut to two-way traffic is something we’d consider, especially with the advent of the Ingersoll project, but it will not happen in the short term,” Ryan said.

“We’re aware of the RAVE discussion about Church Street and the effect on traffic backlogs. We think the two-way conversion can be accommodated. But right now, in terms of two-way conversions, our priority is Main Street.

Assuming that aldermen lend support to the Church conversion, construction isn’t scheduled until 2016, so there’s plenty of time to re-examine traffic concerns and sort out any problems, Ryan said.

First on the city’s agenda is opening Main Street to two-way traffic between Park Avenue and Whitman Street to improve access to the museum campus on North Main Street. Then the city would extend the Main Street two-way traffic flow north to John Street.

“That’s the critical piece,” Ryan said. “Right now, when you come up Whitman from the east or the west, you can’t turn southbound on Main to get to the museum campus. It’s very confusing for a visitor.”